Ottawa weighs age-verification options for social media as France's court strikes down ban
Bill C-34 would block kids under 16 from social media, but Canada hasn't specified how platforms must verify age. France's court rejected a similar ban on privacy grounds.
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In June, the federal government introduced Bill C-34, which would force social media platforms to block access for kids under 16. The exact methods platforms would use to verify age haven't yet been worked out.
Culture Minister Marc Miller said there will be "a back and forth with platforms as to what protects people's privacy and what is adequate and sufficient in the circumstances." Age verification options range from facial age estimation technology to verification through existing accounts to government-issued digital ID.
Canada is one of several countries moving toward social media age restrictions. The United Kingdom plans a ban for kids under 16, and France approved a social media ban for kids under 15. However, France's top court, the Constitutional Council, struck down the ban on Friday, ruling it was too broad and infringed on freedom of expression and privacy rights.
Countries around the world have implemented age verification systems operating at "various levels of efficacy," according to Heidi Tworek, a professor of history and public policy at the University of British Columbia. Australia introduced a law in December 2025 requiring social media platforms to take reasonable steps to keep kids under 16 from using services including Meta's Facebook and Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Twitch, X, YouTube and Reddit. However, a March report from Australia's online safety commissioner found that while millions of accounts had been removed or restricted, "a substantial number of children aged under 16 retain accounts." About 70 per cent of kids with accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat or TikTok retained them after the ban took effect, and about half still had YouTube accounts. The report noted that facial age estimation — a popular method — is "known to have higher error rates for children near the age threshold of 16 years."
Andrew MacDougall, a senior policy fellow at McGill University's Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy, said Canada should learn from Australia's experience by setting its own standard for age verification. "I think the Australian example shows you that if you don't do that, you give the platforms a lot of latitude to get around any kind of ban," he said. The United Kingdom's Online Safety Act sets out seven separate methods of age verification for legal access to adult content, including facial age estimation, digital ID issued by government or company, credit card, mobile network operator, bank verification, and email-based age estimation.
Which age verification method does Canada's Culture Minister favour, or will all platforms have equal discretion?
Will Canada set penalties for platforms that fail to enforce the ban effectively, as Australia has?
We'll update this story as answers emerge.
By the numbers
What age does Bill C-34 propose to block from social media?
Bill C-34, introduced by the federal government in June 2026, would block children under 16 from accessing social media platforms.
What happened to France's social media ban?
France's Constitutional Council struck down the country's social media ban on Friday, August 14, 2026, ruling it was too broad and infringed on freedom of expression and privacy rights.
What percentage of Australian children kept their accounts after the social media ban?
According to a March 2026 report from Australia's online safety commissioner, about 70 per cent of children under 16 retained accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat or TikTok after Australia's ban took effect in December 2025, and about half still had YouTube accounts.
